A Renter's Guide to the Lettings Market in England (2026)

By Laura at Domovita

Renting is competitive, especially in cities, and the rules in England changed on 1 May 2026 when the main private-renting provisions of the Renters' Rights Act 2025 came into force (Commencement No. 2 Regulations 2026). This guide walks through finding, applying for, and living in a rental without surprises - and what your rights now are. Last reviewed: 21 July 2026.

1. Set your budget

Affordability requirements are set by each landlord or agent, not by law. Most will either check your income against the rent or ask for a guarantor, and the exact test varies between agents - so ask what theirs is before you apply, and before you pay a holding deposit.

Beyond the rent itself, budget for the deposit (capped - see below), the first month's rent, utilities, council tax, broadband, contents insurance and a TV licence.

2. Search smart

Use Domovita's rentals search with filters for price, beds, furnished or unfurnished, pets and parking, and save your search (free account needed) to get email alerts when new homes match, so you see new listings as they appear rather than after they have been viewed.

3. Viewings

As with buying, check condition, light, noise and the surrounding area. Specifically for a rental, ask:

• What is the EPC rating? In England and Wales a property with an EPC rating below E generally cannot be let unless the landlord has registered a valid exemption (gov.uk MEES landlord guidance). The government has said it wants privately rented homes upgraded to EPC C where possible by 2030, but the detail is still being settled - check the current guidance rather than relying on a fixed date.
• Who is the landlord? An individual, a company, or a managed agency.
• Is the deposit cap respected, and which scheme protects it? In England and Wales the three government-approved schemes are the Deposit Protection Service (DPS), mydeposits and the Tenancy Deposit Scheme (TDS) (gov.uk tenancy deposit protection). Scotland and Northern Ireland use different schemes.
• What bills are included, if any?
• Pets: in England, under the Renters' Rights Act you can ask to keep a pet and your landlord cannot unreasonably refuse. They must reply in writing, normally within 28 days (Renters' Rights Act 2025, s.11).

4. What you can and cannot be charged

In England, since the Tenant Fees Act 2019, the only payments a landlord or agent can charge you in connection with a new tenancy are: the rent; a refundable holding deposit of no more than one week's rent; a refundable security deposit; and limited charges such as for late rent or replacing a lost key. The security deposit is capped at five weeks' rent where the annual rent is under £50,000, or six weeks' rent where it is £50,000 or more. Referencing fees, admin fees and "renewal" fees charged to tenants are banned.

The rest of the UK sets its own rules. Wales has a separate fee ban under the Renting Homes (Fees, Discrimination etc.) (Wales) Act 2019, which caps holding deposits at one week's rent. Wales does not set England's five/six-week security-deposit cap on the face of its Act - Schedule 1 leaves any limit to be set by Welsh Ministers in regulations - so check the current Welsh position before you pay (the Act; gov.wales deposits guidance). In Scotland the deposit limit is two months' rent (mygov.scot). Northern Ireland has its own rules again.

In England, since 1 May 2026 a landlord can also ask for no more than one month's rent in advance once the agreement is signed and before the tenancy begins (28 days' rent where the rental period is shorter than a month), and rental bidding is banned - the property is advertised at a stated rent, and a landlord or agent cannot ask for, encourage or accept offers above it (Guide to the Renters' Rights Act).

5. Applying

You will usually provide photo ID, proof of address, recent payslips or bank statements, an employer reference and a previous-landlord reference. In England, a landlord must carry out a Right to Rent check on every tenant aged 18 or over before the tenancy starts, even if they are not named on the agreement. A landlord or agent cannot discriminate against you because you have children or receive benefits - that is unlawful under the Renters' Rights Act.

6. Your tenancy under the Renters' Rights Act (England)

This is the biggest change for renters in a generation, and it is already in force:

• No more fixed-term assured shorthold tenancies. Since 1 May 2026, tenancies are periodic - they run from month to month with no fixed end date. Older assured shorthold tenancies converted automatically.
• No-fault eviction is gone. Section 21 has been abolished, so a landlord can no longer ask you to leave without a reason. To regain possession they must use a Section 8 ground (for example genuine rent arrears, or that they intend to sell or move in), and some grounds carry protections - the "landlord wants to sell" ground cannot be used in the first 12 months of a new tenancy, and carries four months' notice.
• You can leave on two months' notice, with the end date falling at the end of a rent period.
• You should receive the Renters' Rights Act Information Sheet 2026 - the government document your landlord must now serve, explaining your rights. It is only valid downloaded from the official gov.uk page. The old "How to Rent" guide was withdrawn on 1 May 2026, and gov.uk now points tenants to its guidance on assured periodic tenancies. Our guide to the Information Sheet 2026 explains who must be served and by when.

Read your tenancy agreement carefully before signing. Check who is responsible for repairs (boiler, appliances, garden) and that it names the scheme your deposit will be protected in. For an assured tenancy - which covers most private renting in England - a rent-review clause in the agreement no longer governs increases; see section 8 below. For the current position, see the gov.uk guidance on assured periodic tenancies, the government's Guide to the Renters' Rights Act (published before commencement) and the Act itself.

7. Moving in

• Take photos of every room and the meters (gas, electric, water) on move-in day.
• Your landlord should provide a written inventory. If they do not, write your own and email it to them in the first week.
• In England and Wales, your landlord must put your deposit in one of the three schemes within 30 days of receiving it, and give you the "prescribed information" telling you where it is protected (gov.uk tenancy deposit protection).
• Register for council tax and set up utility accounts in your name.

8. During the tenancy

• Pay rent on time - late rent is the single most common source of disputes.
• Report problems in writing (email is fine) and keep a record of what you reported and when.
• Your landlord must give you at least 24 hours' notice and visit at a reasonable time of day, unless it is an emergency needing immediate access (gov.uk: your rights and responsibilities).
• If your landlord ignores serious repairs, your council's Environmental Health team can step in.

If your landlord wants to raise the rent (England)

For an assured tenancy - which is most private renting in England - rent increases now run through one statutory route, and a rent-review clause in your tenancy agreement does not override it - the Act voids any term that says otherwise (Housing Act 1988, s.13(4A)). (Some lettings are not assured tenancies and follow their own agreement instead: where the tenant is a company rather than an individual (Housing Act 1988, s.1(1)), where the rent is over £100,000 a year, and where your landlord lives in the same building (Schedule 1).) Your landlord can raise the rent only once a year, not at all in the first year of the tenancy, and must give you at least two months' notice using a completed form 4A. If an increase was agreed before 1 May 2026 under a rent-review clause but takes effect after it, that increase does not apply. If you think the new rent is above the open market rent, you can challenge it at the First-tier Tribunal (gov.uk: rent increases) - but you must apply before the date the new rent is due to start. If you miss that date the increase takes effect automatically (Housing Act 1988, s.13(4)).

9. Moving out and getting your deposit back

• Give notice in line with your tenancy - for a periodic tenancy in England that is two months, ending at the end of a rent period.
• Clean to the standard of the move-in inventory; photos help.
• Take final meter readings and cancel utilities from your last day.

Once you and the landlord agree how much of the deposit is returned, it must be repaid within 10 days of that agreement (gov.uk tenancy deposit protection). If you do not agree with proposed deductions, do not sign to accept them - your deposit stays protected in the scheme until the issue is sorted out (gov.uk tenancy deposit protection). Each scheme offers a free dispute resolution service that decides on the evidence you both provide, such as your inventory and photos. Two things to know before you rely on it: you and your landlord both have to agree to use it, and if you do, the decision is final. There may also be a time limit on raising a dispute, so contact your scheme as soon as possible (gov.uk: disputes and problems). If your landlord will not agree to use the service, get advice from Citizens Advice or Shelter before accepting any deduction.

Tools to help you

• Search rentals - and save your search (free account needed) for email alerts when new homes match
• Affordability calculator

This guide is general information, not legal advice. It describes the position in England; renting rules differ across the UK and continue to change, so check the current gov.uk guidance on private renting, your nation's guidance, or your council before relying on it.